Improvement in knitting-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet1. G. w. CUMMlNGS.

Knitting-Machines. NO 148Q37, Patented March 24, 1874.

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G. W. CUMMINES. Knitting-Machines.

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UNITED :STATES GEORGE YV. CUMMINGS, OF COHOES, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNlT'l-'ING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 148,937, datedMarchQ-i, 1874; application filed September 27, 1873.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. GUi/nvrrNGs, of Gohoes, in the county ofAlbany and State of New York, have invented an lmprovement inKnitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification:

My improvement relates to a means for sustaining, and adjusting themovable radial sinker-plates that carry the yarn into the hooks of theneedle and hold the same in a regular and uniform position until theloops draw into the hooks.

I make use of a cylinder or cone, that revolves and carries the needles,and these are moved up and down by a cam-groove in a stationary jacket.The radial sinker-plates are within a ring-plate that is outside therange of needles and revolves in unison with them. j The radialsinker-plates pass in between the needles, and the thread or yarn issupplied through a stationary eye against the outer surfaces of theneedles just below the barbs, and the radial sinker-plates are forced insuccessively by an adjustable cam and hold the loops of thread indefinite positions while the needles draw down. Thereby the thread oryarn passes reliably into the barb, and that is closed, and the furtherdownward movement casts the previous oops off thel needle. The knittedfabric is drawn down by a take-up apparatus that re- -volves with thefabric.

In the drawing, Figure l is a section of the knitting mechanism andelevation of the takeup. Fig. 2 is a plan of the radial sinker-pla-tesand needles; and Fig. 3 is a section of the stationary jacket andneedle-cone, where the needles can be removed for replacing injuredones.

The bed a of the machine is supported upon suitable legs, or clamped toa table. The motive power is applied to a shaft, b, that is driven by acrank, or otherwise; and,'by the wheels c and d, revolves in unison thewheel f of the needle-cone e, and the wheel 7L of the ring-plate g,carrying the radial sinker-plates. The wheel j' is below the bed a, andis connected by screws to the base of the needle-cone c, and thisneedle-cone is made with an annular rib, 2, setting in a groove in theupper surface of the bed af, so that the cone can be revolved freely.The surface of the cone e is grooved vertically for the reception of theneedles o, and these needles are of usual character, and the foot' ofeach needle runs in a cam-groove vupon the inside of the conical jacketl, that is stationaryand supported by the bed a. The cam-groove in thisjacket is shaped so as to give the proper end movement to thev needlesto elevate them above the end of the needlecone for receiving the yarn,and draw them down below the said end of the cone for casting off theloop. At one side of the conical jacket l, there is a groove extendingdownward from the under side of the cam-groove, and into this is placedthe removable block 3. When this block is taken out, as seen in Fig. 3,the needles can be removed or introduced endwise through this groove.'lhe ring-plate g is within an annular case, m, 'that is supported bycolumns u, and said ring can be raised or lowered bodily, together withthe radial sinker-plates, for the purpose of properly positioning` thethread to thebeards of the needles. This adjustment may also be availedof for lengthening or shortening the loops, as hereafter explained.

The ring-plate g and wheel h are screwed together, and the deep radialgrooves in the plate g receive the sinker-plates i', and each plate hasa projection or foot, 6, that enters a cam-groove, 16, in the uppersurface of the an nular case m; and this groove is shaped as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2, so as to force the sinker-plates in between theneedles contiguous to the place where the yarn or thread is suppliedthrough a stationary eye, and in so doing form the loops of yarn; andthe canigroove from this point is nearly concentric, so as to hold theloops of the definite length while the needles draw down; hence theyarn4 will pass reliably into the barbs of the needles,

after which the stationary barb-closer r operates to hold the barbsclosed as the previous loops pass over such barbs, and then the needles,continuing to draw down, cast off such loops, and the fabric as knittedpasses down through the open needlecone. The barbcloser r is show n inthe sectional view, Fig. 4, and by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will now be evident that, the needles standing conically, the radialsinker-plates will force the yarn farther in and make longer loops whenthe case m and such plates are rrron time@ lowered bodily by adjustingthe nuts n of the columns, and that the loops will be shortened when thesaid case and plates-are raised.

The yarn-eye m is supported by the top plate of the case m, and theplate s at the upper end of the needle-cone prevents the fabric risingas the needles are forced up through the loops. This plate s is upon thebar s and yoke 10, so as to be held stationary.

Some of the devices described may be duplicated whenever the number ofneedles is sufficient to admit of the knitting being performed at two,three, or more points around the range of needles, so as to use two,three, or more yarns or threads. In these cases the eyes for the yarnwill be placed accordingly, and the camgrooves in the stationary jacketand the bottom of the case m are to be made to draw down the needles,and to project the radial sinker-plates at as many places as there arethread or yarn eyes, and in the'proper posit-ions relatively to sucheyes.

In order to draw the fabric down as it is knitted, I use the devicesshown in Figs. 1 and 5; which consist of the frame t, attached to thewheelf, and carrying the rollers 14, 15, and 26, that are gearedtogether so as to move in unison, and to one of these rollers, 14, apartial rotary movement is communicated periodically by a pawl, 17,ratchet-wheel 1S, and sliding pawl-carrier 19, that is moved by cominginto contact with the incline or stop 20 on the bed c.

To prevent this mechanism opera-tin g except when the fabric requires tobe taken up, I employ the laterally-'yielding roller o and slidingincline 23, connected to the pawl-carrier by a slot and pin, and I passthe knitted fabric around this roller o before it passes in between therollers 14 and 15, so that when the rollers 14 and 15 have drawn thefabric along sufciently to move the roller c laterally against thesprings 24, and move the incline 23, said incline will force thepawl-carrier down and prevent its being raised by its spring, and henceit will not strike the inclined stop 20 and move the ratchet-wheel 18the distance of another tooth; but said wheel and the rollers willsimply hold the fabric until its length is increased suciently for theroller o to move back and allow the pawl-carrier to 'act as before.

The fabric may be wound upon a roller that rests upon the roller 26, andis guided at its ends in slots in the frame.

I claim as my inventionl. The annular case m, supported by theadjustable columns u, in combination with the sinkerplatesi andneedlecone e, substantially as and for the purposes set fort 2. Theframe t, attached to the wheel f, and provided with the rollers 14, 15,and 26, in combination with the incline 23, laterallymoving roller o,and pawl-carrier 19, as specified.

Signed by me this 20th day of September,

G. W. GUMMINGS. Witnesses:

IV. T. DODGE,

CEAS.. E. WILBRICK.

